


Just a Girl

by treya_barton



Series: Tainted Love [4]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F, Gen, M/M, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26717728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: Chie makes a big decision at work and goes to the people she trusts most for support.
Relationships: Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Series: Tainted Love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895857
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Just a Girl

Chie was nervously pacing about the office, hands on her hips and still dressed in the shorts and tank top she used when sparring with the new recruits. Yosuke had been trying to ignore her for the past 15 minutes, trying his best to focus on typing up a report, but after staring at the same sentence for the past 5 minutes while drawing a blank on what to write next he finally gave up.

“What’s got you all agitated?” he finally asked, voice a bit snippy with his irritation.

Chie let out a huff before throwing herself into her chair. She leaned back in it and stared at the ceiling. “I’m going to be taking the physical to see if I can get clearance to return to work,” she admitted.

Yosuke sat up in his seat. “Wait, really?” he asked. She turned to look at him. “You never said anything to me!”

Chie nervously bit at her lip. “I…didn’t want to get your hopes up in case I changed my mind at the last minute,” she confessed. Her recovery period had been longer due to the mental trauma she had to overcome once her physical injuries had healed. She had been quite useful acting as a trainer, but Chie was finally ready to be back on the field.

“Still…I wish I had known,” Yosuke pouted. He then looked over at Chie for another long minute. She was fidgeting in her chair and still nibbling at her lip while refusing to look at him. Yosuke leaned forward on his desk as he watched her. “You do realize you run the training program. You literally are doing the physical exam every day.”

Chie was quiet for a moment. “Shut up, Hanamura,” she grumbled.

Yosuke continued to examine her, and Chie finally turned to look at him, annoyed by his stare. “What?” she asked.

“What are you really worried about?” he gently prodded.

Chie let out a sigh before leaning forward again, draping herself on her desk. “I’m just…not sure if I’m ready yet,” she admitted. “You’re right, I’m not worried about the physical. I’ve been ready to do that for almost half a year. But, the psychiatric test…” she paused. “I just don’t know if I can handle it if I can’t pass.” She glanced over at Yosuke, her brows furrowed.

Yosuke’s eyes softened. “Ah, so that’s it,” he said. To her surprise he stood up and walked over before leaning against her desk and folding his arms so he could look at her more closely. “I have something I want to tell you,” he began.

Chie leaned her head on her hand and looked up at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. Yosuke took a deep breath and then released it. “I still…” he started, before pausing, his hands clenching the edge of the desk. “I still have nightmares. Where we’re back by that school. And I see someone lying down in the distance. And when I get closer I realize it’s you lying in a pool of your own blood and…” Yosuke trailed off before looking down. Chie reached over, gently placing a hand over his, and Yosuke let out a shaky breath.

“In spite of that, I’m still able to come into work every day,” Yosuke pointed out, turning to her. His eyes looked a bit red like he was trying not to cry. “And you’re a hell of a lot stronger than me, so I know you’ll be able to do it too.”

Chie gave him a small smile at the praise before squeezing his hand and letting it go. “Well, you’re not wrong there,” she said, sounding a little more confident. Yosuke flashed a grin at her before standing back up and lightly punching her on the shoulder. 

“I look forward to working with you again, partner,” he said before returning back to his seat. “I’ll be safer out there with you back on the field with me.”

“You got that right. Someone needs to look after you,” she grumbled, and he stuck his tongue out at her before frowning at his case report and begrudgingly returning to work. Chie grinned at him before stretching and heading back out into the hall to see if anyone was willing to do a sparring match with her.

That night when she got home, it was just as Yukiko had woken up and was getting ready to head out to work. She was still in her nightgown with her hair braided, and she was sipping at some matcha tea in order to wake up and get energy for her day. Chie leaned forward to press a kiss against her cheek before sitting down to her dinner which consisted of a traditional Japanese breakfast. “How was work?” Yukiko asked as she ate some rice. Her mother had finally gotten her to make some basic dishes such as grilled fish, rice, and miso soup so they wouldn’t have to constantly eat out or eat Western style breakfasts. 

“Hmmm…had a conversation with Yosuke,” Chie said.

“Oh?” Yukiko asked.

Chie explained their conversation and Yukiko listened closely until she was finished. “Looks like Yosuke had some good advice,” she commented.

“Yeah, surprisingly,” Chie replied, although she had a fond tone. “Maybe Narukami-kun is rubbing off on him.”

Yukiko giggled at that. “Chie,” she said gently. Chie turned to look at her, cheeks lightly flushed by the tone of voice. “You know as well as I that you are going to pass these exams with flying colors. You’ve been looking forward to this so I have no doubt you will be just fine.”

Chie smiled adoringly at her girlfriend, before leaning in to share a kiss. It was warm and tender and caused a slight flutter in her chest, even after all their years of being together. She then let out a sigh. “I’m so rusty – Yosuke’s probably better than me now,” she grumbled, and Yukiko couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ll just have to get back out there and show him how it’s done,” she encouraged. Chie rolled her eyes at her enthusiasm but did look happy.

Over the next several days, Chie went through her various exams, and every step of the way she got encouraging texts and notes from her girlfriend cheering her on. Yosuke also gave her words of encouragement between lightly teasing her, knowing that riling her up usually gave her an energy boost. Throughout the process, one thing Chie was made abundantly aware of was how much she really relied on Yukiko’s support and how much she loved her. ‘I think I wanna marry her,’ Chie was struck with the sudden realization. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed her mind before, but it had never seemed so urgent before.

A few days later, Chie invited Yosuke out for a drink since it was their day off together. She had gotten the news about being cleared to return to the field and had gone out to visit Yukiko for lunch in order to celebrate the good news. She had let her know that when Yosuke got up she’d be going out to share a drink with him in celebration – he had promised her one, confident that she would be able to make it in. Yukiko had told her to enjoy their time together and that she could stay out as late as she liked.

“Kanpai!” they both said as they clinked their glasses together before taking a long sip of their beers.

“How does it feel to be back on the field?” Yosuke asked. They were at a bar near work that they often frequented back when they used to be on day shift prior to becoming hunters. It was where they would meet up anytime they were celebrating solving a case or for any big moment in their careers. So, of course, it was where Yosuke invited her for their celebration.

“I’m relieved that I made it past the exams,” Chie replied. “But I’m still a little nervous about my first day back…”

“You’ll be fine,” Yosuke replied. “You’ve got me, don’t you?”

Chie pretended to look horrified. “Maybe I should stick with training…” she said, and he rolled his eyes.

“If you’re able to joke you must not be that nervous,” he grumbled before taking another sip of beer. She snickered at him before letting out a sigh.

“I _am_ nervous, but it’s about something else,” she admitted. She waved the bartender down and ordered some yakitori which the bar was well known for. Meat always helped Chie feel better after all. She took another sip of her beer before glancing over at Yosuke. He had been intently staring but upon seeing her notice he began to look away, pretending to look at his phone.

Chie kicked his stool and he grabbed hold of the bar to keep from falling. “Aren’t you going to ask?” she finally asked, crossing her arms.

“I was waiting until you were ready, sheesh,” he replied. “I haven’t seen you this nervous since you began dating Yukiko…”

Chie flushed. “What?” she asked, trying to sound indignant although she was honestly a bit confused. She and Yukiko had been dating for so long so she couldn’t fully remember what it had been like in the early years.

“You don’t remember?” Yosuke asked, his eyes gleaming suddenly.

“It’s not that I don’t remember, I just think you’re remembering wrong!”

Yosuke shook his head. “We had just started as hunters,” he said, thinking back. He and Chie had been in the same training class and had bickered shortly upon meeting each other. They had found out they were going to be partnered together after they finished training under their separate mentors and had hated the idea at first until they realized how well they worked together. Chie had a natural fighting acumen that helped keep them safe during the hunts while Yosuke’s detective instincts tracked the vampires down and solved the cases. It hadn’t taken them long to become best friends once they had learned to trust one another.

“It’s always customary to have your mentor take you to the shrine so your weapons can be blessed for the first time,” he continued. “We were sent together since a case came up that ours had to work on.”

“No, we were sent together because our mentors wanted us to play nice and were tired of us arguing,” Chie replied. “Seriously, you can be surprisingly naïve sometimes…”

“I mean, that too, but there seriously was a case,” Yosuke muttered. “I don’t even remember what we had argued about that day…”

“Wait, hadn’t you broken that Bruce Lee DVD I had lent you?” Chie asked, suddenly remembering. Yosuke’s face paled.

“Anyway, we’re getting off track here,” he said.

“That’s my favorite movie!”

“I bought you another copy!”

“But _that_ copy had been given to me by…” They were interrupted by the arrival of the yakitori, and the conversation abruptly came to a halt as they both took a skewer.

“I thought I ordered this for myself,” Chie grumbled. 

“I’m paying tonight and will just order more,” Yosuke rolled his eyes. Chie grinned at him before taking another bite of chicken.

“You were saying?” she asked, and he flushed in annoyance.

“I was saying that the moment we walked into the shrine, Yukiko was in the middle of practicing for that yearly dance ritual they do. And for the very first time I saw the normally over-confident Satonaka Chie suddenly turn into a nervous mess. I will never forget it as long as I live,” Yosuke said fondly.

Chie was blushing brightly. “You were attracted to her too!” she said defensively, and Yosuke choked on his drink.

“Excuse you! I was in a relationship at the time!” he protested.

Chie waved her hand at the notion. “She was no good for you anyway. And what are you trying to say? You know how hot Yukiko is,” she replied.

Yosuke covered his face with his hand. “You really know how to make something awkward,” he said. “Yeah, I’m not going to deny she’s attractive. But it’s not like it was ever going to go anywhere. It was pretty obvious early on she was just as attracted to you.” Yosuke grinned at Chie, who appeared stunned by her words. “Plus, I was in a _relationship_.”

“You’re in a better one now,” Chie replied. She then paused. “Was she really?” She put her hands over her cheeks, trying to hide how red they were. “There’s no way, right?”

“If I ever went on my own she was always asking when Satonaka-san would be back,” Yosuke replied smugly.

“Oh yeah, back when you were better at keeping up with your weapons,” Chie replied, before grabbing the last skewer. “Funny how once we started dating you stopped being as attentive.” Yosuke frowned.

“When did you eat all those! I only had one,” he whined.

“You did say you’d buy more,” Chie replied smugly. Yosuke waved down the waiter and ordered more yakitori and some fried chicken. It wasn’t as good as his favorite bar, but it was still pretty good.

“I stopped being as attentive after my girlfriend broke up with me,” he then quietly stated, avoiding Chie’s gaze. “It had nothing to do with Yukiko. I wasn’t ever interested in her like that. I wouldn’t go after someone my partner was into.” Chie turned to look at him, and she realized he was sulking. She leaned her head on her hand as she studied him. Before she had gotten to know what Yosuke was really like, she had thought him a bit of a playboy and hadn’t trusted his instincts, but it hadn’t taken her long to figure out he was actually a good guy. She had been teasing about his attraction to Yukiko – pretty much everyone was – but after seeing how affected he had been by the break up, she knew how seriously he treated relationships. And she knew how reliable of a partner he was.

“Well, it’s good you’re with Narukami-kun now then,” Chie said. He glanced at her. “He gets you to take care of yourself. Somebody has to – it’s not like you listen to me.”

“We weren’t here to talk about me,” Yosuke finally said. Chie pouted as he turned the topic back around. “What’s got you so nervous?” Somehow, she had a feeling he had figured it out, based on the fact he had chosen the story he had. There truly was only one person who could make her as nervous as she felt.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, gathering up her courage to finally say it. “And…I think I want to marry Yukiko.”

Yosuke’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously?” he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face. Chie nodded, suddenly feeling shy. “It’s about damn time!” he said. “Is this something you’ve both discussed before?”

Chie shook her head. “Sort of? We’re both open to the idea but we’ve never really sat down and talked about it. Just kind of mentioned it here and there like, ‘One day, when we’re married…’” She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap. “I just am not too sure about the ring. Or proposing. What if she doesn’t like it?” She turned to look at Yosuke, eyes boring into him. She was so focused that she didn’t notice when the bartender dropped off their chicken.

Yosuke noted, however, that she didn’t seem worried over what Yukiko’s answer would be, which to him was the most important part. “Just go with what feels right. Yukiko loves you and is pretty mature when it comes to stuff like that.” He then waggled his eyebrows at her. “Does this mean I get to be your best man?” he asked.

“You can be my maid of honor,” she said in a singsong voice, and Yosuke’s face soured at the thought. Chie began to laugh, and Yosuke couldn’t help but give a chuckle as well.

“Wow, you and Yukiko finally married,” he said, before lifting up his glass. He and Chie clinked them together. “If you need any help, let me know. I’m here for you.”

“I know, idiot,” Chie replied. “Why do you think you’re the first one I told?”

Yosuke flushed, looking pleased at the knowledge, and they spent the rest of the evening talking about potential ideas and reminiscing over the early stages of Chie and Yukiko’s relationship since Yosuke had always been the one Chie had gone to about it. It was also why she was so glad he had Yu now so she could finally return the favor. They enjoyed eating their chicken and drinking their beer, and they couldn’t help but feel like it was finally like old times again with Chie finally back where she belonged on the field. Things were truly looking up.


End file.
